Congressman Steve Cohen ~ Letter !

October 19, 2007

Dear Friend :

The United States House of Representatives had a showdown yesterday between proponents of the re authorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) and those who would join the President in denying health care coverage to 10 million children of low-income families. The President’s veto was sustained by a vote of 273 to 156, as it failed to reach the two-thirds majority necessary to override his veto. President Bush has informed the country that he will be asking for a $200 billion supplemental for the war in Iraq, but will not be able to provide health insurance for children in the United States. It’s important to note that insuring 10 million children for an entire year costs roughly the same as funding the war in Iraq for a mere forty days. We will move forward expeditiously to introduce a revised CHIP re authorization bill to ensure that children of low-income families will have the health care they need and deserve – a bill that will be achieved through strong bi-partisan support and that is guaranteed to be veto-proof! In addition, CHIP would also allow Arkansas and Mississippi to reimburse The MED for medical care provided to citizens of those states, a total of about $20 million to date.In Washington on Tuesday, I hosted a briefing regarding infant mortality, featuring research and medical professionals from across the country who gathered to discuss this troubling issue. The infant mortality rate in the United States is one of the highest of any industrialized nation in the world; furthermore, the city of Memphis has one of the highest rates in the country. Brian Dobbins, Managed Care Director of The MED in Memphis and Dr. Ramasubbareddy Dhanireddy, Medical Director of the Sheldon Korones Newborn Center at The MED and Chief of Neonatology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center were among the presenters. They, along with other guests, addressed the issues surrounding this matter. I will continue to work with my colleagues to pursue whatever measures I can in the 110th Congress to work toward solutions to this health crisis.As a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I participated in a hearing on the events that occurred recently in Jena, Louisiana. A group of African-American youth, known as the “Jena Six,” has been accused of attempted murder of a fellow white student during a schoolyard fight. It is clear, from what I learned of the events in Jena, that an unequal standard of justice still exists there. My staff has been researching ways to heighten hate crime laws in reference to nooses hung with the intent to intimidate, a measure which was suggested by Pastor Derrick Hughes of Springdale Baptist Church in Memphis. At the hearing, I suggested mandating teaching of the Civil Rights Movement to our children in the context of a tolerance and diversity curriculum. This was enthusiastically received by my colleagues and passed on to the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Representative George Miller, for his consideration.I also introduced two bills this week – H.R. 3829, the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act of 2007, and H.R. 3848, the Security from Political Interference in Justice Act of 2007. H.R. 3829 criminalizes the cruel practice of “canned hunting,” in which trapped animals are shot dead without any chance of escape or even a fair chase. H.R. 3848, which I introduced in response to the abuses that came to light in the ongoing U.S. Attorneys scandal, establishes a reporting requirement for the Department of Justice and the White House regarding contacts between them concerning ongoing civil and criminal investigations. I hope to see you at my Town Hall meeting this Saturday, October 20 at 10:00 A.M. at the Alma C. Hanson Student Center, LeMoyne-Owen College, 807 Walker Avenue. My special guest at this occasion will be Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri. Representative Cleaver is a distinguished member of Congress, an active Senior Pastor at St. James United Methodist Church in his congressional district, and the former two-term mayor of Kansas City. Representative Cleaver has dedicated his career to economic development and social justice issues. We share many of the same ideas and thoughts for the growth and well being of our respective districts. Again, I thank you for giving me this time to share with you what I’ve been doing in Washington and I hope to see you at the Town Hall meeting this Saturday.
Best,
Steve Cohen, Member of Congress

"Saving America"